


If I Had to Do it Over Again...

by Milkbonez



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Anxiety, Dreams and Nightmares, Gen, postgame, virtual reality au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-23 04:16:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23005618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milkbonez/pseuds/Milkbonez
Summary: On the cusp of witnessing Kaede's execution again, Shuichi takes action to change the outcome. As it turns out, he needs her to come to his aid, too.
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede & Saihara Shuichi
Kudos: 30





	If I Had to Do it Over Again...

“Everyone, stop!” Kaede’s desperate plea behind him sent Shuichi’s heart racing. At his side, Kaito, Gonta, and Tenko were poised and ready to fight. In front of them, the five Exisals were the same, brandishing guns instead of fists. All around them their fellow Ultimates stared in horror, while the two-toned teddy bears sneered from on high.

Shuichi and the others looked back at her. A shadow crossed her face. Wet streaks stained her cheeks. Voice unsteady, she went on, “Please, don’t do something stupid like this. I can’t have any of you dying on me here. All of you need to survive, end this dumb killing game, and get out of here! And… and be the very best of friends once this is over.” She choked back a sob, triggering a lump in Shuichi’s throat. “Do it for me… okay?”

One by one, his three friends backed down, their faces contorting with sorrow. Pulling the bill of his hat down, Shuichi followed their lead. What choice did he have? The Exisals were too dangerous to oppose. Still, disgust welled up within him, mingling with the fear and anguish. Was he really about to sit back and watch his friend be executed again?

“Smart choice, you sniveling bastards,” chuckled Monokuma. He lifted his gavel. “Now, then, I’ve prepared a very special punishment for the Ultimate Pianist Kaede Akamatsu!”

“No.” His voice was a whisper at first. Then Shuichi stepped in front of Kaede and declared with full voice, “No! I won’t let you take her!”

“Shuichi?” She blinked the drops out of her eyes. “This is what I deserve for my crime…”

 _You did it because of my deductions…_ he thought. With a shake of his head, Shuichi said, “You wanted to protect us. Everything you did, you did to that end. So, I refuse to stand by without protecting you, too!” Despite his own tears, he stood his ground in front of her. He tossed his hat aside to glower at the bears that held them captive. 

As if Shuichi’s gesture meant nothing, Monokuma sang, “Let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s _punishment tiiime!”_ He brought down the gavel.

Shuichi whirled around towards Kaede, tense, ready for anything. Seeming touched, she gave him a shaky smile. “Shui—” Like a snake striking its prey, a steel collar connected to a long cable snapped shut around her throat, cutting her off.

“No!” bellowed Shuichi, lunging for her hand. It was wrenched from his grasp as soon as he had grabbed it. The Monokubs’ mocking laughter echoed overhead. The tether jerked Kaede backwards towards a darkened doorway in the corner of the courtroom. He chased her at a sprint.

Dim lamps in the ceiling barely lit up the nondescript hallway. It was just enough to illuminate Kaede being dragged like a doll, too fast for any hope of gaining her footing. Her eyes were huge with panic, her mouth gaped for breath, her hands clawed at the strangling collar. The sight spurred Shuichi on.

“I’ll save you, Kaede!”

She stretched out her arm to him, and he reached for her. So close…! So close, and yet, she was still too far even to dive for.

“Don’t give up, Kaede! I won’t give up on you!” He gulped air. _That’s a promise!_

The corridor opened up into a massive room like a concert hall, equally as dim. Shuichi barely registered the hundreds of Monokumas on either side, watching them. Snickering.

“You said—You promised we would get out of here! All of us, together! And be friends!” His lungs burned, and his ribs cramped. He refused to slow his pace.

The rows of Monokumas ended, replaced by prickly brambles with roses in full bloom. They were splayed all across the floor, reaching over each other in zigzags. Dragged through the thorny thistles, Kaede stiffened, wincing.

“I really wanted—to be friends with you!” Shuichi’s foot snagged, and he fell into the brambles. The thorns tore his sleeves and scratched his face and palms.

The lights suddenly shone in full brightness, illuminating the giant piano keys towards which Kaede was being dragged. Shuichi’s head whipped up. Brambles and roses adorned the fallboard above her. Hundreds of sharpened spikes, each as long as a man is tall, jutted from its surface. Their tips glinted in the light. Just like before.

The sight froze Shuichi’s blood. Drained the color from his face. He screamed, _“KAEDE!”_

Time slowed down. Sitting up painfully, Kaede inhaled a noisy, rasping breath. She met his gaze. Her face, red from suffocation, reflected his horror back at him like a mirror. Then the fallboard closed on her like the jaws of death itself. Spattered him with her blood.

* * *

Shuichi shot up in bed, panting. Weeping quietly, he clutched his chest as if it would keep his heart from bursting out of it. The entire back of his tee shirt was damp.

His eyes darted around. It was too dark to make out much at first. A streetlight from outside cast a few white bars against the wall from the window. His bedroom window. He was home in his own room, in his bed. To his left, a few posters from his favorite movies. Near the door, a small bookcase. Across the room, the shadow of his desk. Immediately beside him, his bedside table with a lamp and his phone.

He was home. He was home. His heart still raced.

With a trembling hand, Shuichi groped for his cell phone. He opened his contacts and called Kaede, praying she picked up. She didn’t. He tapped out a shaky message:

“Please call me whenever you see this.”

Shuichi remained on edge while he dug a new shirt from his dresser to replace the sweat-soaked one. He’d just pulled it over his head when his phone vibrated with urgency. He nearly tripped over himself going back to his bedside to answer it. “K-Kaede?”

The newly-awake roughness was obvious in her voice. “Hey. What’s up?”

“So-Sorry to wake you, I, I, ah…” The fallboard closing on her appeared in his mind. The words seized in his throat, forming a lump. He choked.

“Shuichi?”

A faint sob escaped him. “I, it was…” His face twisted, and he wept. Through clenched teeth, Shuichi whispered, “A b-bad dream… about you…”

“Oh, Shuichi… I’m so sorry to hear that. I hate those dreams. They feel so real… Like we’re still stuck in that messed-up game…”

Shuichi panted, trying not to sob into his phone.

Kaede went on, “But, Shuichi, I’m okay. You can hear me, right, hear my voice? I’m fine. I’m at home, safe and sound in bed. Right where I should be.”

He sniffled. “Good. Th-That’s good.”

“You, too. You’re at home now. I’m guessing you’re in your room just like me. Right where you should be. Right?”

“Y-Yeah…” Shuichi took several slow, deep breaths. “Right where I should be.” His heart finally, gradually, began to slow.

He could just hear the smile in her voice. “That’s right. I’m glad you reached out to me, Shuichi. We’re in a new chapter of our lives, but we still have to rely on our friends for strength. You, me, Kaito, and everyone else… We’re on this road together. It’s tough, but we don’t have to go it alone.”

Shuichi gave a little nod. “Yes, you’re right. Absolutely. Thank you so much, Kaede, f-for calling me back. Hearing your voice really—I’m grateful to have a friend like you.”

“I feel the same about you, Shuichi. Get some sleep, okay? We’ll talk later.”

“I will. Good night, Kaede.”

Shuichi set aside his phone before lying down again. He took one, two deep breaths, clinging to Kaede’s words. A sense of calm settled over him. He was home, he was safe. He was recovering, and he wasn’t alone in that. That was reality. The reality he lived in now. The reminder let him relax enough to fall asleep again.

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to Animercom for helping out so much with the ending. You're awesome, and I always appreciate your help and suggestions! <3
> 
> This work was inspired by this [alternate Kaede execution concept](https://yuseirra.tumblr.com/post/160363089197/saiaka-drawings-for-my-saiaka-needs-comic-based) posted by @yuseirra on tumblr.
> 
> I'm big saimatsu trash, but I tried to downplay it here, or at least put more emphasis on their friendship/platonic relationship.


End file.
